Creston safety committee considering Optotraffic

Monday

Jun 17, 2013 at 4:00 AM

By AMANDA GALLAGHER Staff Writer

CRESTON -- The village safety committee is considering a new option for controlling traffic and creating revenue.

At the most recent safety committee meeting, a presentation was given by a representative for Optotraffic, a company that provides an automated red light and speed enforcements system. According to the company's website, an Optotraffic system is meant to provide a solution for smaller jurisdictions with high volumes of speeding traffic and a lack of law enforcement resources.

"We are just trying to figure out if it's something we can do here," said Councilwoman Gerry Mills.

Mills said there has been discussion about installing such a system along state Route 3 near the schools.

According to Mills, traffic tickets received by drivers through the automated system are handled by Optotraffic. The company receives 40 percent of the income generated, and the municipality receives 60 percent.

Mills said it could be a way for the village to offset the cost of the proposed wastewater treatment plant. It already has been reported at public meetings the new plant would result in a sewer rate increase of $14.20 per month for those living inside village limits. Mills wants to see the plant funded another way.

"I'm for it. This is our answer," said Mills.

Mayor William Armentrout called the solution "a nice idea," but said he is against it. Armentrout sees the solution as something that would lessen the police department's interaction with the community, something he feels is important to the small village. In addition, he has concerns over the fact the tickets are sent to Maryland, where Optotraffic is based.

"I don't like that," he said, adding he thinks it is "impersonal."

Using Optotraffic also would entail hiring a magistrate for the village to handle cases of people wanting to fight tickets, as such cases cannot be handled by the mayor.

Armentrout said he feels the village has asked a lot of its residents already, citing the sewer rate increase as an example. He said if council chose to use the traffic solution as a substitute for raising sewer rates, then the village would have to rescind its ordinance approving the rate increase.

"It's up to council," said Armentrout.

Police Chief Bryon Meshew was the one who was approached by the Optotraffic representative about the system.

Meshew said safety in the school zones is a "concern" and he believes if traffic laws are visibly enforced in a certain area, it could drastically help with safety issues.

With the two Norwayne District buildings being located near one another on state Route 3, school zones are in effect within the same area at four different times per day. According to Meshew, the police department tries to be present for most of those times.

"It's very consuming for our department to be there all four times," Meshew said. "This (system) will be there to essentially monitor that zone 24 hours a day, unmanned."

Members of the safety committee traveled to the village of Lucas in Richland County on Wednesday to learn more details about the system from the local government, since the town has had an Optotraffic system implemented for the past six months. Mills hopes learning more about the system and how people are responding to it could help Creston officials in making a decision.

The next step will be for the safety committee to approve the traffic solution before bringing it to council.

Meshew said the system can be programmed to change with the school zone speed limit times.

If the system is approved by council and later implemented, Meshew said that there would be a three-month period spent publicizing the system in order to educate residents about it. In addition, there would be signage installed to let drivers know that they are in an area being enforced by the automated system.

Reporter Amanda Gallagher can be reached at 330-287-1635 or agallagher@the-daily-record.com.

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